Duane Allman appears alongside Jimi Hendrix in Rolling Stone's list of rock's 100 greatest guitarists. With a legacy this impressive, it's hard to believe he died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24. A founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, Duane was also in demand as a session musician and was a member of Eric Clapton's all-star group Derek and the Dominos ("Layla"; "Mean Old World"). This seven-CD set moves from early recordings (with brother Gregg) in bands such as the Escorts ("Turn On Your Love Light"), Allman Joys ("Spoonful"), and Hour Glass ("Down in Texas"; "Norwegian Wood"); to his studio work with Aretha Franklin ("The Weight"), King Curtis, ("Hey, Joe"), Wilson Pickett ("Born to Be Wild"), Boz Scaggs ("Look What I Got"), Delaney & Bonnie ("Soul Shake"; "Livin' on the Open Road"; "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" [Live]), Ronnie Hawkins ("Matchbox"; "Who Do You Love?"), Ella Brown ("A Woman Left Lonely"), Herbie Mann ("Spirit in the Dark"), and many others; to a live jam session with the Grateful Dead ("Sugar Magnolia"). It includes unreleased performances, many classic Allman Brothers songs ("Black Hearted Woman"; "Midnight Rider"; "Trouble No More"; "Blue Sky" [both live and album versions]), and a cache of rare singles and out-of-print album tracks.

"Duane's solo [on "Blue Sky"] is so lyrical, hypnotic and flowing. It has that Kind of Blue quality—trance, with a country tune at its core."—Derek Trucks, Rolling Stone